The federal government should increase military spending to 2% of Canada’s gross domestic product to prevent the continued erosion of our existing military capabilities and to fulfil our obligations to Canadians and our allies, senators said in a report released Thursday, April 13, 2017.

Successive governments have failed to provide the military with the support and clear priorities it needs to defend Canada and fulfil its international commitments. Today, Canada is spending 0.88% of GDP on the military. This is clearly insufficient.

The committee recommends the government present a plan to Parliament within 180 days to increase defence spending to 1.5% of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2023 and to 2% by 2028.

These much needed funds will be used to address the urgent capability gaps within the military and ensure effective security and defence for Canadians. It will also allow Canada to fulfil the government’s requirement that the military must also be able to simultaneously meet our NORAD and NATO obligations.

The committee notes that military procurement also requires urgent attention and a total revamp. The current system is a bureaucratic morass with little accountability. It is prone to delays that prevent the timely acquisition of necessary materiel and diminish the government’s purchasing power. The committee makes a number of recommendations to address this long-standing issue.

The committee also urges the government to do more to protect critical infrastructure, eliminate lapse funding, and to move forward with plans to promote a cross-party consensus on military issues, as this will be in the best interest of Canadians.

The government can no longer afford to just talk the talk while the military struggles. Our national defence is too important. It is time for the government to turn words into action and make the much needed investments in our own security and defence.